Barium titanate is widely used as a dielectric of a multilayer capacitor. A multilayer capacitor containing barium titanate has dielectric layers made of barium titanate and electrode layers for applying voltage on the dielectric layers in which the dielectric layers and the electrode layers are mutually laminated. Production of a multilayer capacitor is conducted by a method in which layers made of a barium titanate powder and electrode layers are laminated and the laminate is sintered at about 1400° C.
Conventionally, expensive platinum group elements have been used as a material of an electrode layer, however, from the standpoint of reduction in cost, application of a cheap metal such as nickel and the like is under investigation.
However, since the melting point of nickel (1450° C.) is lower as compared with platinum group elements (melting point of platinum: 1770° C.), nickel is diffused at sintering temperature in the conventional method, it is difficult to manufacture a multilayer capacitor.
On the other hand, when the sintering temperature is lowered, formation of a barium titanate dielectric layer having high density becomes difficult.
Therefore, there is desired a development of a barium titanate powder capable of forming a dielectric layer of high density even in sintering at lower temperature, for example, 1100 to 1200° C.